No judgement, delayed vaccine worries

[Rosiebuds]

My son is 5 and hasn’t yet had his MMR, I put it off for various reasons, including Covid but also I felt hugely anxious about it at the time. I still do, but due to the current media coverage, I’ve booked him in to have the jab next week.

Will he be ok to attend school the following day?
Are side effects common? I’m really anxious, particularly as he’s older than the usual age for getting this set of jabs.

My son had his about 2 weeks ago. He was fine the next day. However about 7 days later (measles kicks in) and he was off for a few days with fever etc.

I don't want to be rude but the people who say it's "poison" are very uneducated and not intelligent at all, why on earth would you listen to them above the actual scientists who developed this and know what they are talking about

My daughter had mmr aged six as it turns out she hadn't produced any antibodies with the first two. She was absolutely fine. Maybe you need to explore why you think you are poisoning your child.

As he could if he caught any of the diseases. Side effects of vaccines are short lived but the symptoms can be lifechanging.

Well done, OP, you've made the right decision for your ds. I'm sure he'll be fine to go into school the next day, maybe just let his teacher know that he's had the jab if you're worried.

Are you getting any help with your anxiety? It might be a good idea for you to look into this if not.

Well done for making the decision. I understand your anxiety, but perhaps it would help to remind yourself how awful you would feel if you cancelled it now and then next week he fell seriously ill with measles? Because statistically that's more likely than a severe reaction to the vaccine. Nothing is without risk, but the vaccine is statistically by far the least risky option for your child.

Chances are he'll be absolutely fine to go to school the next day.

As others have said. Well done. Calpol 30 mins before he goes in will help. And, he may spike a low grade fever. Just keep on top of it with calpol. No need to keep him off school. He'll be fine.

I'm speaking from a position of Christmas gone being a write off. My vaccinated child (up to date etc) had measles. Huge rigmarole with getting him tested and the hospital reporting. We were back in lockdown for 7 days which wiped out the run up to the big day with Christmas day being freedom day.

He had a high temp, rash and was generally very unwell. He was very ill for most of the 7 days. It took nearly 2 weeks for the worst of the illness to go. Keeping his temp down was ridiculously hard. I'm thankful, he was vaccinated because I would have hated to see full blown measles. My second dc (a baby) was absolutely fine didn't get it at all.

The area I live in is low on vaccinations - all types. It's a good area, an expensive sought after area in Surrey.

I would rather my child deal with a sore arm for a couple of days then have to deal with full blown illness that the vaccine covers.

Vaccines are GOOD not poison. You'd be much more anxious if your child got measles mumps or rubella. Those are actual dangerous diseases not just letters on a vaccine bottle.

My brother went deaf from catching mumps aged around 8. My mum was put off giving him the MMR back in the 90s because of adverse press coverage and scaremongering at the time. My brother has coped well with his hearing loss but I know my mum carries a huge burden of guilt from not vaccinating him when she had the chance.

Vaccines are an amazing invention and you're doing the right thing giving your son his MMR now.

Both had theirs when they were babies. Ds was absolutely fine, a dose of calpol and no issues.

Dd was a bit more out of sorts for a bit longer and developed the measles rash but was fine again a few days later.

Just see how your ds feels as it really does vary. Warn work that if he's not feeling well you'll need to take the day off, but if he's fine you'll be in.

You're absolutely doing the right thing op, well done.

It's rare for anyone to have a life threatening reaction to a vaccine. If they do, it will likely happen within minutes. Your DH and child will still be in or nearby the GP surgery at that point and close to medical help. The person giving the vaccine will be trained to help in that exact circumstance... Focus on that if it helps. I get bouts of medical anxiety and thinking about these sorts of logical things helps me.

Also, it might help to focus on the terrible consequences of NOT giving the vaccine. 'This podcast will kill you' did a great episode on measles, also ones on mumps and rubella etc. It sounds counterintuitive but listening could really help if you keep in mind this is what you are protecting your child from.

Did you know that measles wipes out your immune systems memory? Every cold, cough, virus, bacteria or vaccine etc you have ever come in contact with. Your body has to learn what is good and bad again basically from scratch. You are protecting your child from that! That's an amazing decision you've made!

Your little one will be absolutely fine with a dose of calpol and maybe a snuggle on the sofa with mummy. Honestly I'd send them to school/nursery the next day as the distraction could help them.

You are doing a brilliant job. Well done and thank you so much from a mum whose child is immunocompromised x

Hey. To put your mind at ease, at 5 years old the child's brain is completely developed in the sense that the matter is all there and it is just neural pathways developing as they learn more. They are at "full capacity". The brain continues growing until 25 but at 5 it is fully formed, so to speak. So any adverse reactions you may be specifically thinking about are much less of a risk from an already low risk. An allergic reaction possible, but also very rare - luckily due to his age he should be able to verbalise exactly how he feels and if he's unwell. I personally am not vaccinating my child until later years like you have done and I completely respect everybody's ability to make these desicions for their own kids as they think are suitable, so well done for doing what you think is best by your child. It is anxiety inducing isn't it just thinking about "what ifs" but I'm sure he will be fine.

My daughter was older. It was about the time of all the autistic link scandal and you can't help feeling worried. She was fine though and I am glad I had it done. It isn't just about protecting them. I would have felt bad if she had had german measles and been in contact with somebody pregnant or someone vulnerable.

Ds1, who is now an adult, was a similar age when he got his first mmr. He reacted very badly to it. He got what they euphemistically referred to as mini measles. Basically, he got the measles but without the potential for the severe side effects (deafness etc) you can get with measles. He was very unwell and out of action for about 10 days.

I didn't get the booster for him due to the severity of his reaction to the initial shot. However, he got the booster as an adult as he needed it for his uni course and had no side effects.

So basically, what I am saying is, yes, your dc might have quite a strong reaction. However, the chances of a life changing reaction are significantly lower than if he gets measles. Given the current risk of measles, I would get the vaccine and dose with calpol if he starts to show side effects. Do not dose before the vaccine. I have read some research (proper research in medical journals) that suggest the effectiveness of the childhood vaccines can be reduced if you give calpol or similar in advance.

Hopefully, he will not react at all. Dd, who had her first aged 2 at the same time as ds1 had no reaction to the vaccine at all. Most kids are absolutely fine but just be prepared for the potential side effects.

Best of luck and hopefully he is back in school the next day with no issues. The mini measles takes about a week to 10 days to show up so just be aware of that. Mini mumps won't show up until about 2-3 weeks after the vaccine.

To put your mind at ease, at 5 years old the child's brain is completely developed in the sense that the matter is all there and it is just neural pathways developing as they learn more. They are at "full capacity". The brain continues growing until 25 but at 5 it is fully formed, so to speak. So any adverse reactions you may be specifically thinking about are much less of a risk from an already low risk
This suggests a link to autism without actually mentioning it. There isn't. It's quite simple, Andrew Wakefield was a fraud & his "research" has been completely discredited.

Op....my dad once told me that when he was a child, kids would just randomly disappear from school. Because they had died from measles.

It's really great he's having it. He will be fine.

I hope you are getting help for your anxiety

Please get it done. I’m 40 home with measles , I never had the vaccine because my mum was worried about the things that were going around about the MMR

Dh caught mumps in his early twenties was horribly ill and had the worry he would be infertile. Wouldn’t like to have to face an adult son go through that if it was avoidable

Having the vaccine is a great thing. Honestly. Well done for booking him in 😄

Unless he lived at a time when there was significant malnutrition, I think your father may have been exaggerating somewhat. I know the death rate was quite high in the outbreak in the late 1920's for example, when public heath for poorer people was not great. However, mortality rates had dramatically reduced from the 19th century to mid 20th century, prior to the introduction of the vaccine. This may have been due to improved public health.

I was pre-vaccine and got measles age 6 during an outbreak. I also infected my 6 month old sister. Huge numbers of schoolfriends and neighbours also got it. Nobody died or had any long lasting complications. As an adult I have met one person who is partially deaf as a result of measles and another whose mother was partially deaf as a result of measles.

Given the death rate is around 0.1%, and the majority of complications (and thus deaths) are in children under 5 and adults over 20, the death rate in school going children would be much lower.

The death rate in underdeveloped countries is around 15%. What that means though, is that the healthy, well nourished children of today are much less likely to die than those in the past when levels of malnourishment were much higher.

That said, the vaccine is extremely safe and the risk of severe complications from the measles is much higher than from the vaccine. By vaccinating, you are also helping to prevent an epidemic and to protect those most vulnerable to severe complications or death.

You would have been in your mid teens when the MMR fuss happened, so I don't think this is why you didn't have it. It was 1997/98 when it all started (DD was born 1996 & I remember it well).
I hope you feel better soon, though.

Did he have it? How is he?

He’s had it and he’s fine at the moment.
He didn’t cry, he just went quiet for a minute.

His arm isn’t swollen, sore or red today.

You are most certainly not putting poison into your child!

You're absolutely doing the best for your child and he’s very likely to be perfectly well the next day.

How is your little boy now?